Apparatus for cleaning and separating seeds, &amp;c.



No. 846,915. PATENTBD MAR. 12, '190'7.v

' M. BOSS-0R.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING- AND SEPARATING SEEDS, 8w.

AAPLIUATION FILED JUNE 11 1906.

2 SHEETS-MET 1.

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HIIIIIAI m nimum WTNESSES I IN NT R FREDERWK Mnmam .nosson M K R I Arrow/Er.

- PATENTED MARQ12,1907.

F. M. DOSSOR.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND SBPARATING SEEDS, 8w.

' APPLIOATION'PILED JUNE 11,1906.

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FRlDEmcH MRLcaLM b05801! EETTEE sTATEs' FREDERICK MALCOLM.

nosson, or DONCASTER, ENGLAND.

A'PPA'rRb Cl'US FOR CLEANING AND SEPARATING SEEDS, 81.0-

Specification of Letters'Patent.

ratented March 12, 1907.

Application filed June 11, 1906. Serial No. 321,245.

T0 at whom it may concern."

Be it. known that I, FREDERIoKMALcoLM Dosson, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Doncaster, in the county of York, England,.have invented a new and useful Improvement in Appa ratus for Cleaning and Separating Seeds and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in apparatus for the purpose of cleaning seeds and grain by the separation or extraction therefrom of docks, rib-grass, or other weeds, light seeds, or foreign; matter, my said improvements consisting'in treating the seeds by passing them over and through a series of endless traveling belts and hoppers constructed and arranged as hereinafter de scribed.

Description of Drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved seed-separating apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section of one of the traveling belts or bands. Figs. 4 and 5 show plan and elevation of adjustable bearings, hereinafter referred to. Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal section of part of the upperfeed-hopper, showing method of regulating the feed. section of the velvet-lined guide-hoppers, hereinafter referred to.

Similar letters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

According to my said invention I arrange upon a suitable frame A a series of endless' belts or hands B, preferably composed of velj vet, velveteen, or like fabric, which are arranged at a suitable slight inclination in a continuous descending series, each belt or section overlapping the next lower section to a distance of approximately half its length and being driven in an upward direction by suitable gearing from any convenient motor. The belts or bands B are carried on suitable rollers, the upper or driving rollers C being preferably of larger diameter than the lower rollers D and the upper or working portion of each belt B passing over a correspondinglyinclined board E, the top of which is arranged in line with the tops of the rollers O D, thereby preventing any sagging of the belt. Each belt or section is provided with adjustable bearings F G (shown enlarged in F igsA and 5) and is preferably adjustable in the lower Fig. 7 is an enlarged rollers D, and the belt may also be provided with side bearings or guides H, movable upon pins or pivots, forming raised edges or guides to prevent the seedfrom getting between the belt B and its'supportingboard E, and to prevent any jumping of the seeds a cover T is provided over each belt, sufficient space beingallowed'between the cover and the belt for the passage of the seed. The bearings F and G are secured to the frame A by means of bolts G, as shown in Fig. 3. These bolts are screwed into the frame, and the bearings are provided with slots F, so that they may be slid into any desired position before'the bolts are screwed up.

The seed or grain is fed to the upper section of the machine by means of two feedhoppers, consisting of an upper \I-shaped hopper K, having circular feed-openings L, and regulating slide M, Fig. 6, which discharges into a. lower wood, zinc, or other suitable material, pref erably lined with velvet or like fabric, terminating in a fine discharge-slit extending the entire Width of the hopper. By this means the seed is fed to the belt in a single line extending across the width of the belt, the distribution of seed being therefore perfectly even and regular throughout the entire width of the belt. The seed, therefore, on

coming into contact with the belt is at once separated, the comparatively light and irregular-shaped dock-seed or other foreign matter passing upward with the belt and bein immediately discharged over the top at the back of the machine into any suitable receptacle, while the heavier and more rounded clover or grain passes down to the lower end of the belt, Where it is delivered over the fixed vertical side of a velvet-lined V-shaped hopper 0, Fig. 7, with receiving-inclines P for checking the fall of the seed and with fine discharge-slit Q, which again distributes the seed or grain singly and evenly throughout the entire width of the next lower belt or section, and so on throughout the entire series of bolts, bands, or sections, each belt and guide-hopper performing exactly the same work throughout the series.

The middle part of the frame A is supported by a pivot B, so that the frame can be tilted to simultaneously adjust the inclination of all the belts B, instead of having to adjust each one separately by means of its adjusting-leg F. In this manner all the belts can be adjusted without interfering with the V-shaped hopper N, of

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separate adjustments of the legs F. The rough material with which the hoppers are lined catches the bearded seeds, such as wild l oats, and these bearded seeds are removed from the hoppers periodically before the hoppers become choked up. The rough material or pile fabric P also prevents the small seeds from rebounding out of the hopper, and, it prevents them from being injured, which hoppers arranged at the front and lower ends they would be if they fell upon a hard surl of the said belts, said hoppers being provided face. The proposed speed of the rollers C internally with inclined projections covered and D when operating upon clover-seed is with rough fabric. about three hundred revolutions per minute. i 2. In seed-cleaning apparatus, the com- The angle of the frame A of the machine, I bination, with a support, a frame having its and consequently the incline of the belts or l middle part pivoted to the said support, and bands B, may be varied and adjusted upon means for holding the said frame at various the pivotB by means of the extensions orfeet inclinations; of a series of inclined endless S, as indicated by dotted lines in Big, 1, or by" belts or aprons of rough fabric mounted in any other convenient means, so as to suit the the said frame and arranged in the form of nature of the seed being operated upon. steps, means for driving the said belts up- The number of belts B, guidehoppers O, wardly and rearwardly, and a series of hopand feed-hoppers K N may be varied as depers supported by the said frame and arsired, and the whole of the guide-hoppers O ranged at the front and lower ends of the said and also the lower feed-hopper N are preferbelts, said hoppers being provided with inably lined withvelvet or other suitable fabric. clined projections By the above means the seed or grain is ered with rough fabric. carefully passed over and through the re- FREDERICK MALCOLM DOSSOR. quired series of belts and hoppers practically l without jar, vibration, jumpin or injury, and thereby each grain of weed-seed or other foreign matter is removed and the Whole of the sound seed separated and extracted.

I claii 1. In a seed-cleaning apparatus, the combination with a series of inclined endless belts or aprons of rough fabric, arranged in the form of steps, and means for driving the said belts upwardly and rearwardly, of a series of Witnesses:

JOHN E. WALsn, ALLAN BENNETT.

internally which are cov- 

